Ice cuber



E. C. WINN March 29, 1938.

ICE CUBER Filed May 12, 1937 Patented Mar. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES.

P-ATE-NT- OFFICE ICE. CUBER Edwin C. Winn, Louisville, Ky.

Application May 12, 1937, Serial No. 142,258

8 Claims.

' fold purpose ofproviding the cuber with necessary weight to *causethe cutting grid to melt rapidly into the ice block, also of providing a removable bottle which may be initially filled with warm water in order to speed up the ice-cutting action of the grid, and also of providing a convenient place where a bottle of drinking water may be kept and cooled more rapidly than by merely setting such bottle inside the refrigerator or ice box.

Other minor objects of the invention will be hereinafter set forthi I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates one practical embodiment thereof to enable others to adopt and use the same; and will summarize in the claims, the novel features of construction, and novel combinations of parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my novel ice cuber showing in dotted lines the drinking water bottle within the open receptacle at the upper portion thereof.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the ice cuber showing the arrangement of the grid.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1, showing the water bottle in section.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the transverse grid members.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the longitudinal grid members.

The Member as shown comprises a pair of pan-shaped members I and 2 of substantially the same length, width, and depth, but disposed back-to-back so as to form an upwardly opening bottle receiving receptacle 2 in the upper portion of the cuber, and a downwardly opening grid receivlng receptacle I in the lower portion of the cuber. Said pans are preferably made of hard aluminum, copper or other good heat conducting material.

Within the grid receiving portion I is a grid formed of a plurality of spaced longitudinal grid members 3 (Fig. 5), and a plurality of spaced transverse grid members 4 (Fig. 4), the longitudinal grid members-3 having spaced slots 3a extending upwardly from their lower edges and terminating at the centers of the members, while the transverse grid members 4 have slots 4a extending downwardly from their upper edges to the centers of members, the slots 3a4a interv5 fitting when the members are assembled to form a grid of same height as'the pan'member I. The transverse gridmembers 4 are provided with notches 4b (Fig. 4) adjacent their lower ends adapted to engage inwardlyrolled ribs' la in the 16 sides of pan I so that the grid as a unit may be snapped into place in pan I and'will normally remain intact therein, the arrangement of slots preventing the longitudinal grids 3 from dropping out of the pan I, same being supported by grids 4. The grid members 3 and 4 are thus not permanently fastened together, but connected by .the slots 3a and 4a. The slots 4a in the transverse grid members 4, being disposed at the upper edge, provide a solid supporting element 20 which holds the entire grid assembly in the pan I when the members 4 are snapped into place.

The two pans I and 2 are riveted together by eyelets 5 disposed at the center of each grid compattment, said eyelets providing vents in each compartment to permit air to pass freely from thecompartment above the ice cubes so that the cuber can sink down quickly into the ice block; also to permit the cuber to be readily removed from the ice block after the ice cubes are formed.

The upper pan 2 is provided with a semi-cir-' cular notch 212 at its front-end to permit the neck 6a of a removable water bottle 6 to extend therethrough when lying in the pan 2 as indicated in Fig. 1, said pan 2 being also provided with inwardly rolled ribs 2a in its sides to receive correspondingly shaped recesses 61) in the sides of water bottle 6. Preferably water bottle 6 is of greater depth than the pan 2 and 40 is snapped-into place in said pan by the interengagement of ribs 2a with recesses 62:. The water bottle 6 as shown is a quart bottle of specialdesign made to fit the upper pan 2 but, it

,is not necessary however that the bottle should be this special type, made to snap into place, for'any bottle that will fit inside of the pan 2 will function. The snap-on type however is more satisfactory.

, If desired the pans I and 2 may be formed 5 integrally. When made separately, as shown, one drawing die may be used to form both pans I and 2, and the pans may be fastened together as shown by the eyelets 5, the only difference in the two pans I- and 2 being the semi-circuin! notch 2b in pan 2 fOl permitting the neck or the bottle to overhang the end of the pan.

In use, the bottle 0 or any ordinary quart water flask or bottle is placed in the upper pan 2 and the cuber placed upon the top of a cake of ice C, asshowninfig; 3. 'Iheheat iromthewateris rapidly transmitted to the grids 3-4 causing the grids to melt down into the ice cake C forming ice cubes in the topoi'the ice The cubesmayberemovedbyusing aflatice picktoliit them oi! the cake alter the cuber has been .re-

moved. The water in the bottle is, cooled at a much more rapid rate than if the bottle were merely placed within the refrigerator or ice chest.

The bottle 6, being snapped into place,'is sale and easily. available at all times.

I claim: v

'1. nice cuber comprising a m mber a;

lower grid section adapted to contact a cake of ice and having an upper pan shaped section,

adapted to removably receive a water bottle. said grid section comprising an inverted pan having inwardly extending ribs and a grid member within-the pan having notches to receive the ribs.

2. An ice cuber comprising a member having a lower grid section adapted to. contact a cake oi ice. and having an upper: pan shaped section I I adapted to removably receive a water bottle, said grid section comprising an inverted pan having inwardly extending ribs, longitudinal and transnecting the sections together and forming vents in the grid compartments;

4. In an ice cuber as set forth in'claim 3, said 7 7 water bottle conforming with the shapeot the pan section; and said pan section having inwardly extending ,ribs c laging recesses in the bottle when snapped into place therein.

5. Inan ice cuber, as set ilorthin claim 8, one side of the water bottle conforming with the shape of the pan section; and said pan secticn having inwardly extending ribs engaging recesses in the bottle when placed therein, the pan having a recess in itsiront end receivingthe neck 0! the bottle lying on'its side in the pan section.

6. In an ice cuber, a grid section adapted to contact a cakeoi ice and comprising an inverted pan having inwardly extending ribs along its sides; longitudinal and transverse grid members 7 7 having slots entering from the upper edges respectively removable from the pan; the grid members whose slots enter from the upper edges having notches in their ends receiving the ribs;

"1. In an ice cuber, a lower grid section, an upper pan section having inwardly extending ribs; a water-bottle conforming with the shape oi the pan section andhaving recesses receiving and lower and interfltted to form a unit so the ribs tosnap the bottle into place in the pan.

8. In an ice cuber, a lower grid section, an upper pan section having inwardly extending ribs, a water bottle having one 'side conforming with the shape 0! the pan section and having recesses receiving the ribs to snap'the bottle into place. therein. the pan having a recess in its front, end

receiving the neck of the bottle lying on its side'in as the pan. c I 

